Dig beneath the veneer in Tinseltown, and you will find a seamy underside. It has always been that way, even back in the old silent film era of the 1910s and 1920s. My post today chronicles the story of Karyn Kupcinet, a lovely young woman from a prominent Chicago family who went to Hollywood and ended up murdered.
The Rise of Karyn Kupcinet
Karyn Kupcinet was born Roberta Lynn Kupcinet (she adopted “Karyn” as a stage name) in Chicago in 1941. Her father was journalist Irv Kupcinet, whose column, “Kup’s Column,” appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times for over sixty years. Her mother, Esther, bordered on being the stereotypical stage mother, grooming her for future stardom and living vicariously through her daughter’s career.
Karyn’s first public appearance was as a model when she was just five months old. From then on, Esther ensured her daughter had a regular schedule of modeling jobs. Karyn made her first professional acting debut at age 13 in 1955. She was the understudy to Carol Lynley (also a rising star) in the Chicago production of Anniversary Waltz.
By the time she was 20, Karyn was ready to try to break into motion pictures. She moved to California, where she received numerous small parts in films and television series. She was on her way but still looking for her big break.
The Final Hours of Karyn Kupcinet
On November 28, 1963, Karyn had a date to have dinner with actor Mark Goddard and his wife, Marcia (Goddard would later appear as Maj. Don West in the CBS series Lost in Space). Dinner was supposed to start at 6:30, but Karyn arrived in a taxi more than an hour late.
At dinner, Karyn did not seem to be herself. According to the Goddards, she picked at her food, ate little, and her voice was “funny.” They also noticed that her pupils appeared constricted. She left in another taxicab at 8:30, promising to call the Goddards.
Karyn went straight home from the Goddards, where she had two visitors. Writer Edward Rubin showed up shortly after she returned home, and actor Robert Hathaway dropped in at about 9:30. The three watched television until Karyn fell asleep on the couch. She woke up later and went to her room. Rubin and Hathaway turned the TV volume and left, making sure they locked the door behind them.
Karyn Kupcinet Found Murdered
Two days later, on November 30, Mark and Marcia Goddard became concerned that Karyn had never phoned them as promised. Mark Goddard later said he had a “funny feeling” that something was wrong. The couple went to Karyn’s apartment, where they found her nude body lying on the couch. Mark initially assumed she had died from a drug overdose.
Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department searched the apartment and found prescriptions for Desoxyn, Miltown, Amvicel, and other medications. However, Coroner Howard Kade concluded that a fractured hyoid bone in Karyn’s throat indicated she had been strangled and ruled the death a homicide.
Who Killed Karyn Kupcinet?
The two men who visited Karyn’s apartment on Thursday, November 28, presumed to be the last people to see her alive, were naturally suspects. So was actor Andrew Prine, whom she had dated in late 1962 and early 1963. Further investigation failed to turn up evidence linking them to the crime.
Karyn’s parents had another suspect, an actor/producer named David Lange. Lange had a reputation as a heavy drinker, a hanger-on, and a “gofer.” He had recently enlisted Karyn’s help finding an apartment and had moved into the one downstairs from Karyn’s. His behavior the night Karyn died was thought to be suspicious. Lange soon lawyered up and stopped cooperating with police. A polygraph test investigators conducted proved inconclusive.
Occurring as it did days after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, it was perhaps inevitable that Karyn’s murder would get sucked into the maelstrom of JFK conspiracy theories. This idea emerged in 1967 in a self-published book by Penn Jones, Jr. titled Forgive My Grief II. In his capacity as a newspaper columnist, Irv Kupcinet did know the Kennedys and several underworld figures, including Sam Giancana and Tony Accardo, which only added fuel to the conspiracy theorists’ fire. However, Kupcinet vehemently denied that his daughter had any connection to Kennedy’s death.
Epilogue
The police in Los Angeles never charged anyone with Karyn Kupicet’s murder. It remains officially unsolved today.
Karyn’s last acting role was on the Perry Mason television series. She played Penny Ames in an episode entitled “The Case of the Capering Camera.” The episode aired on January 16, 1964, nearly two months after her death.
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